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vingilot's review against another edition
5.0
Ah, the Starfleet Core of Engineers, I feel like I am home again.
i just love these stories, I just love this crew. I have read through the series twice before, and loved it more each time. Seriously anyone reading this, if you have not read these books and are the slightest bit interested in Star Trek you need to read these.
This is what I describe as a Star Trek show published in the form of books. Unlike most trek books these stories are the same length and scope as your average star trek episode. No longer do we need universe defying stakes in every other books, this is episodic story telling at its finest. yet it still has a definitive overarching story arc for the characters, and reading this first one in the series was great because you can see them all being set up. In particular I would recommend new readers pay attention to the Bynar characters...
If I had to point out a problem with this omnibus it would be this, La forge sticks around too long... He is the crossover charcter like Mcoy appearing in the pilot of TNG, Picard in the pilot of DS9, Quark on the pilot of Voyager, and Cochrane in Enterprise. However these were little more than cameos, La Forge sticks around for 3 episodes. This is not necessarily bad, but the tension between him and the main engineer character of these new books is also repeated thrice, a side effect of the different authors I suppose. Other than that there are just a few inconsistencies with the later books, but that is true of all the shows to some extent. Nothing that truly breaks the immersion.
This will be my first time reading the series on paper, and I am proud to have the books adorning my shelves. I look forward to the emotional rollercoaster that is the SCE, especially Wildfire which I simultaneously want to read right away, but also want to delay as long as possible. ANyone who has read it will understand.
i just love these stories, I just love this crew. I have read through the series twice before, and loved it more each time. Seriously anyone reading this, if you have not read these books and are the slightest bit interested in Star Trek you need to read these.
This is what I describe as a Star Trek show published in the form of books. Unlike most trek books these stories are the same length and scope as your average star trek episode. No longer do we need universe defying stakes in every other books, this is episodic story telling at its finest. yet it still has a definitive overarching story arc for the characters, and reading this first one in the series was great because you can see them all being set up. In particular I would recommend new readers pay attention to the Bynar characters...
If I had to point out a problem with this omnibus it would be this, La forge sticks around too long... He is the crossover charcter like Mcoy appearing in the pilot of TNG, Picard in the pilot of DS9, Quark on the pilot of Voyager, and Cochrane in Enterprise. However these were little more than cameos, La Forge sticks around for 3 episodes. This is not necessarily bad, but the tension between him and the main engineer character of these new books is also repeated thrice, a side effect of the different authors I suppose. Other than that there are just a few inconsistencies with the later books, but that is true of all the shows to some extent. Nothing that truly breaks the immersion.
This will be my first time reading the series on paper, and I am proud to have the books adorning my shelves. I look forward to the emotional rollercoaster that is the SCE, especially Wildfire which I simultaneously want to read right away, but also want to delay as long as possible. ANyone who has read it will understand.
ac_lytle's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
4 fun novellas set in the Star Trek universe. Not challenging at all, possibly YA or YA adjacent.
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of four stories, not all superb. Ends on a cliffhanger, so I have to move on to the fifth story (in the second collection) quite soon.
lefthandedmatt's review against another edition
3.0
The first four books from the Starfleet Corps of Engineers (SCE) series are collected here. Each is somewhere between the length of a short story and a novella. They are easy reads, but vary wildly in quality and tone.
The fact that each story is handled by a different author means that there is a lack of cohesion. The characters don't feel quite like the same people each time we encounter them. In fact, I have to say that the stories are far more focused on the adventures than the cast, so there isn't much character development to speak of at all. So far, I'm not invested in anyone involved and can't tell you that much about their personalities.
Each story is a mysterious adventure in which the crew need to use their technical skills. It's not quite as immature as that sentence makes it sound, but there's huge room for growth here. I hope the books get better.
The fact that each story is handled by a different author means that there is a lack of cohesion. The characters don't feel quite like the same people each time we encounter them. In fact, I have to say that the stories are far more focused on the adventures than the cast, so there isn't much character development to speak of at all. So far, I'm not invested in anyone involved and can't tell you that much about their personalities.
Each story is a mysterious adventure in which the crew need to use their technical skills. It's not quite as immature as that sentence makes it sound, but there's huge room for growth here. I hope the books get better.
djwudi's review
3.0
A collection of four novellas following the S.C.E. characters. More of Trek’s expanded universe.
bdplume's review
1.0
Some fun stories in the SCE books, but overall I think they're fairly poorly written. Maybe it's just because they're for young adults.
saphirablue's review against another edition
3.0
I like it.
I really like that Geordi LaForge plays a bigger role in the first three stories. He's one of my favourite TNG characters. :) But, I also really like the OCs (even though, I got the impression that more dedicated TNG watchers would know some of them). :)
I really liked the third story. I mean, I liked all of them but if I had to choose one. :)
The first story is really a classical horror story and therefore a bit predictable. I mean, I still enjoyed reading it but, yeah.
The second story has been really interesting in regards to the current development on dependence on computer and AIs for some stuff where it really isn't necessary.
The third one broke my heart in regards to pilot and ship. Wow. But, I also like the development of 110 during this one.
The fourth one? What an evil cliffhanger at the end of it. Eeeeevil! But, while I have no idea of the TOS eppy reference here, I really like the connection it creates between TOS and the current timeline. :)
All in all, I'm looking forward to getting the next part from my library and I also want to rewatch all the Star Trek shows. Ahhhhhhh.
I really like that Geordi LaForge plays a bigger role in the first three stories. He's one of my favourite TNG characters. :) But, I also really like the OCs (even though, I got the impression that more dedicated TNG watchers would know some of them). :)
I really liked the third story. I mean, I liked all of them but if I had to choose one. :)
The first story is really a classical horror story and therefore a bit predictable. I mean, I still enjoyed reading it but, yeah.
The second story has been really interesting in regards to the current development on dependence on computer and AIs for some stuff where it really isn't necessary.
The third one broke my heart in regards to pilot and ship. Wow. But, I also like the development of 110 during this one.
The fourth one? What an evil cliffhanger at the end of it. Eeeeevil! But, while I have no idea of the TOS eppy reference here, I really like the connection it creates between TOS and the current timeline. :)
All in all, I'm looking forward to getting the next part from my library and I also want to rewatch all the Star Trek shows. Ahhhhhhh.
brian's review against another edition
4.0
A spin off novel in the universe of Next Generation/Deep Space Nine & Voyager.
Starfleet Corps of Enginners (SCE) are the uber techs of the Federation, under the command of Scotty (after being rescued from the transporter buffer).
It starts with a mysterious ship attacking the Entrprise, and SCE are tasked to investigate it. (The Enterprise lends LaForge to help, in the manner of a character from a previous series being in the opening episode of a new one).
The stories are well written, although different authors sometimes have different ideas of each character. There is a consistency in events from one story carrying on into the next, rather than just a set of unrelated tales.
Starfleet Corps of Enginners (SCE) are the uber techs of the Federation, under the command of Scotty (after being rescued from the transporter buffer).
It starts with a mysterious ship attacking the Entrprise, and SCE are tasked to investigate it. (The Enterprise lends LaForge to help, in the manner of a character from a previous series being in the opening episode of a new one).
The stories are well written, although different authors sometimes have different ideas of each character. There is a consistency in events from one story carrying on into the next, rather than just a set of unrelated tales.
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